Escape From a North Korean Prison

Born in a forced labor camp, he knew nothing of the outside world. Then he breached the barbed wire

By

Blaine Harden

Updated Jan. 26, 2015 5:35 p.m. ET

NOTE TO READERS (Jan. 26, 2015): In January 2015, Shin Dong-hyuk acknowledged that he changed parts of his life story, click here for article. Author Blaine Harden is reviewing the facts of his book about Mr. Shin’s life, “Escape from Camp 14,” and plans to release more information at a later date.

On Jan. 2, 2005, 23-year-old Shin Dong-hyuk squirmed through an electric fence and escaped from Camp 14, a political prison camp in North Korea. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people are estimated to be held in the country's...